Sensitivity to Impact: Turner and colleagues (2002) used the mental health scale of the Short-Form 36 (SF-36), the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ), and the Chronic Pain Grade Scale (CPGS) to examine associations of catastrophizing and specific pain coping strategies with pain intensity, psychological distress, and pain-related disability in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and chronic pain. Results showed that pain coping and catastrophizing measures explained an additional 29% of the variance in pain intensity after adjusting for the demographic and SCI variables. The coping and catastrophizing scales accounted for an additional 30% of the variance in psychological distress and 11% of the variance in pain-related disability, after controlling for pain intensity and demographic and SCI variables.

Giardino and colleagues (2003) examined how social factors would moderate the association between catastrophizing and sensory and affective pain in persons with SCI (N = 74). The significant interaction with catastrophizing and sensory pain was stronger in those who lived with a spouse or partner than those who lived with someone else. There also was a stronger association between catastrophizing and affective pain in those who reported greater solicitousness in their relationship.